Hundreds of Ethiopian troops returned triumphantly to Addis Ababa at the weekend, after spending more than two years on frontlines of a war with Eritrea, national television reported.

Thousands of relatives and others greeted the soldiers during a ceremony held Saturday at an exhibition center in the capital.

Top city official Ali Abdo spoke of the soldiers' "victory" against Eritrea, a former province of Ethiopia which gained independence in 1993.

On December 12, Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a comprehensive peace accord in Algiers. It followed a well-respected cessation of hostilities agreement signed by both sides in June.

The June deal came on the heels of a massive Ethiopian offensive into southern Eritrea, which dislodged Eritrean troops from areas claimed by Addis Ababa and left many Ethiopian soldiers deployed on undisputedly Eritrean soil.

Some 60,000 Ethiopian soldiers who fought in the war have been demobilized, according to the defence ministry.

More than 170 million dollars of a World Bank facility agreed this month is destined to ease the reintegration into civilian life of about 150,000 soldiers -- ADDIS ABABA (AFP)